Many leg guards, both for use in diamond sports as well as other uses, exist that provide some protection to the knee, thigh, and shin areas. In the case of diamond sports, these leg guards are designed to protect the player from injury to knee and lower leg caused by the impact of thrown balls or bats and collision with other players. Leg guards attempt to provide as much natural movement with minimal restriction to the player as possible while simultaneously providing maximum protection possible.
Leg guards for diamond sports have become more sophisticated with time. Prior art typically consist of a triple kneecap design, wherein three separate protective paddings come together to cover and protect the knee. Additional protective padding is in place to protect the thigh and shin portions of the leg. This type of guard typically has a high-impact resistant plastic covering the soft foam padding and webbing connecting the pads together. Some existing leg guards have a flexible component that is attached to the stationary knee padding and the shin guard padding that allows for leg guard to bend with the player as they move from a standing to crouching position; however, the triple kneecap design leg guards do not provide any sort of protection from overextension of the knee.
Knee guards for use in motocross have an articulated knee design; however, problems exist with these designs for use in a diamond sport setting. Many of these knee guards have only a single articulation point, and function such that when the knee bends or articulates the articulating pieces move leaving large gaps between the articulating pieces. Furthermore, the articulating pieces of motocross knee guards have protruding plastic segments that in a diamond sport setting would function as a scoop or shovel for collecting dirt and debris. The collection of dirt and debris in these gaps and protruding areas would lead to build up in the articulating apparatus impairing the ability articulate properly and would ultimately minimize the range of motion. Additionally, articulating knee guards designed for use in motocross have a limited range of motion compared to the need for nearly full range of motion in diamond sports.
The balance between protection from injury and freedom of movement is the ultimate struggle in protective equipment for athletics. One key problem with existing leg guards for diamond sports is that while some contain flexible components, they still do not allow for natural movement of the knee joint and provide no protection for hyperextension of the knee. Furthermore, the flexing movement with the stationary position of the knee and shin padding allows for vulnerable areas of the body during certain positions. Problems with leg guards designed for motocross in the context of their use in diamond sports include: 1) the articulation apparatus is not designed to handle excess dirt and debris required of any protective gear used in baseball; and, 2) they do not provide for range of motion required for use in diamond sports. There exists a need in the art for a leg guard that has a hinged joint mimicking the natural movement and range of motion of the knee while preventing hyperextension, allowing for greater protection while in the standing or crouching positions, while being able to withstand the dirt and debris of diamond sports.